1. Field of the Invention
Example aspects of the present invention generally relate to telecommunication systems, and more particularly to systems, methods, and computer program products for remote testing of a voice communication system.
2. Related Art
A turret system is a specialized key telephony switching system that allows a relatively small number of users to access a large number of external lines and provides enhanced communication features such as hoot-n-holler, push-to-talk, intercom, video, and large-scale conferencing. These features are often utilized in the financial industry such as trading floor environments, as well as security/law enforcement, public safety utilities, healthcare, and customer support (e.g., contact centers) environments.
Users interface with a turret system via a turret device, which is a telephone-like desktop device with multiple handsets and speakers and multiple buttons. A turret is either implemented in dedicated hardware (sometimes referred to as a “hard” turret) or a general-purpose computer (sometimes referred to as a “soft” turret). With the advent of Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”), VoIP turret devices have moved from a fixed environment of dedicated voice communications trading resources to a more virtualized trading environment across multiple sites. This virtual environment allows resources to be shared dynamically, when and where required, across a global corporate enterprise.
Turrets are installed in one or more premises of a company, and in some cases, are periodically replaced and/or updated in some way. Typically, in order to verify that the installations, replacements, or updates were successful, technicians walk throughout one or more premises in which equipment is installed, manually testing various functions of each of the turrets. Having technicians perform testing manually is costly and time consuming.
Problems can be more quickly solved by remotely conducting tests from a common test location. The need to test turrets and related communications infrastructure to determine the physical location where a problem exists and the type of failure is technically challenging. Typically, test boards are located within the device to be tested (sometimes referred to as a “device under test” or “DUT”). The test boards include circuits that are manually connected to other circuits or test equipment via plugs and jacks. This technique has the shortcoming of requiring a large space where the test jacks and the hard wiring from the circuits can be maintained. Another shortcoming of this testing mechanism is that it requires extensive training of personnel to properly operate the DUT and test equipment. Moreover, such testing is disruptive to end users. There is the need, therefore, for an improved remote test system, particularly tailored for testing communications infrastructure and equipment.